The House of Representatives Committee on Federal Character has suspended all recruitment activities by the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), and threatened to invoke its constitutional powers against the agency’s Executive Chairman, Zacch Adedeji.
The committee said the action followed Adedeji’s repeated failure to honour legislative invitations to account for the agency’s operations.
At a meeting in Abuja, the lawmakers said they would rely on Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution to compel compliance if the NRS boss continues to ignore its directives.
The provisions empower the National Assembly to investigate government agencies, summon witnesses, compel the production of documents and issue warrants where necessary.
According to the committee, a letter dated July 15, 2026, titled “Request for Nominal Roll/Invitation to Meeting,” directed Adedeji to submit a comprehensive and up-to-date nominal roll of the service and appear before the committee on July 22. He failed to attend.
The lawmakers noted that the latest invitation followed at least seven previous letters sent to the NRS between October 2023 and April 2026. They said all the letters were acknowledged by the agency but allegedly ignored.
The committee said the dispute centres on recruitment exercises and waivers reportedly granted to the NRS by the Federal Character Commission, FCC, despite an earlier directive from the House prohibiting such approvals.
Also absent from Wednesday’s meeting was the Chairman of the FCC, Hon Hulayat Motunrayo Omidiran. She informed the committee that she was unable to attend due to official travel and illness.
The committee described her repeated failure to appear as unacceptable, noting that she had ignored several previous invitations.
Lawmakers further condemned the FCC’s decision to grant recruitment waivers to the NRS, describing it as “a direct affront to the constitutional oversight responsibilities of the House of Representatives.”
Consequently, the committee directed the FCC to ensure the immediate suspension of all recruitment activities being conducted by the NRS until the leadership of both agencies appears before it to explain their actions.
Speaking at the meeting, the committee chairman, Hon. Wase, warned that the House would not tolerate public institutions choosing which constitutional directives to obey.
“The National Assembly is the voice of the Nigerian people. Its constitutional oversight powers are not symbolic. They are binding instruments of accountability. No agency, commission or public official is above the Constitution or beyond the reach of parliamentary oversight,” he said.
He added that persistent refusal by public officials to honour invitations from the legislature undermines democratic governance, weakens public confidence and erodes the constitutional system of checks and balances.
The committee reaffirmed its determination to deploy every constitutional and legislative mechanism available to enforce compliance and protect the integrity of the National Assembly’s oversight responsibilities.